Helper

"Bartender, I'd like a drink."

The barkeep served up a whiskey to the well-dressed gentleman, obviously someone from off planet.

"And a round for the house." The bartender dished out bottles of mudder's milk.

"I have a question?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I came to this odiferous moon to buy some ceramic mud, thought I'd look around the town a little. Who are those persons in the statues in the square? " "Well, sir, the big one is Jayne Cobb, the Hero of Canton. He stold a box of money from the Magistrate, and dropped it on the town. Wasn't all heroism, but it's the best thing anyone's ever done fer us hereabouts."

"And the little one, with the big mustache,and the strange clothes, looks like he's helping the big one. What it that he's wearing?"

"Tradition is that it's called a Hawaiian shirt. From a tropical island on Earth-That-Was."

******

The trip to Miranda was over, and Mal was cruising back to their old haunts, when he got a wave from Amnon at the skyplex. Tight lipped and silent, he had ordered the boat there, and kept the crew on short rein as he ,Zoe and Jayne went to checkit out. He had ordered up a fine dinner catered for the entire crew, and now that it was finished, and everyone gathered around the table, he tapped on his glass with a knife.

"I'm sure you all wanta know what this is all about, so here it is. Amnon finally received payment for the Lassiter. Our chunk is quite a bag of coin. I'm taking half for my share and the ship-- fuel, parts, air, food, supplies. I've arranged for Shepard Book's share to be sent to the Abbey. Kaylee and Jayne, I know you got folks at home gonna need part of your shares. You can arrange for transfers tomorrow. Amnon will help with that. For the rest of you--" He flipped envelopes at Inara, Simon,and River. He paused, then, " Zoe, you earned your share, and Wash's goes to you as well." He flipped her 2 envelopes.

She paused, then flipped one back to him."My share goes to the ship, sir. I got no place else I wanta go. But I got something I wanta do with Wash's share." and she began to explain... Part way thru, Kaylee began to smile, then said,"I wanta contribute half of mine..."

River pushed her envelope back. "I didn't earn this. It'll let me be part of the fun. "

Inara too. "I don't need cash. I can always make plenty. "

and Simon. "River and I aren't going anywhere, and don't need anything. Count me in."

Jayne looked puzzled, then-- "Allright, Mal. I gotta sent half home, and I want a litle spree, but you can have the rest."

******

The bartender was finishing his story.

"The ship flew over the town just after midnight on December 24th. Real low and real fast. Made a helluva racket. Woke ever'body in town and at the Magistrate's. Then it made a second pass, real slow, and actually hovered over the square. Coupla fellas in the cargo door began pushing stuff out. Food, clothes, booze, toys for the kids. Some folks who remember Jayne's second coming say one of the fellas was Jayne himself. There was captures of Jayne and the little fella in some of the packages."

"And these are some of the toys , here behind the bar?"

"That's correct, sir. Nobody has been able to explain why so many of them are these. " And the bartender gestured at the group of plastic dinosaurs , and the tiny model spaceships...